Life Still: A Sequence of Paintings Reimagining Dutch Golden Age Still Life

Abstract

Abstract

This research project refers to a sequence of forty-nine monochrome paintings, made between 2016 and 2020, which took as starting point Dutch 17th century still life painting. The works use an idiosyncratic graphite medium to interpret, appropriate and reposition the genre, resulting in a sequence of common focus. The sequence is illustrated in full, and is accompanied by a chronology of individual works presented in the public domain. The reflective essay studies the progress of the sequence from early experimental beginnings to later works made in full awareness of their theoretical contexts. A background to the making process considers the use of monochrome and improvisation, and charts the shift to appropriation methods which extend to include modern, anachronistic elements. Dutch 17th century painting is assessed, along with examples of contemporary adaptations, and texts such as Bryson’s Looking at the Overlooked inform the interplay of theory and practice. Specific circumstances of making are revisited to reflect on the impact of external factors, such as residencies and exhibitions, including the radical curatorial format at York Art Gallery, in which works from the sequence were interspersed with Dutch still lifes, and new works were commissioned. The conclusion considers confluences in the sequence and assesses its contributions to new knowledge.